Brake-head.



R. E. L. MEEHAN.

'BRAKE H'EAD. APPLICATION FILED JAN-19.191

Patented June 19, 1917.

ROBERT E. L. MEEHAN, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

BRAKE-HEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 19. 191 "2.

' Application filed January 19, 1917. Serial No. 143,411.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, ROBERT E. L. MEEHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Heads, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in brake-heads of the type having dc,- tachable shoes secured to the block members of the heads bykeys' or wedges extending through alined openings in the shoes and blocks. This type of brake heads is Well known and in common use on railway cars. In the heads of the type hitherto employed, the keys are entirely removed from the headsi. e. from the block as Well as from the shoe-when detaching a worn or defective shoe for the purpose of replacing it by a new shoe, and it commonly happens that the key becomes broken or lost when thus removed. The most important purpose of my invention is to overcome the expense and loss of time incident to a mislald or lost key by so constructing, combining and correlatin the parts that the key is permanently retamed in the head although it may be moved suh'iciently to free one shoe and secure a different shoe. In other Words, a fundamental purpose of the present invention is to pro-' vide a brake block and key of relative. construction such that the key may be moved longitudinally in the block sufficiently to secure the shoe to or release the shoe from the block, but its movements will be confined within these limits, approximately; by appropriate stopping means so cor.related that the connection of the key with the block is maintainedat all times. The key is provlded with one element of the stopping means and the block with another element thereof and as the key moves in a channel or open1ng formed iii the block due consideration mu be given to a way by which it may be 1111'- tially inserted as well as permanently retained after it has been inserted. In respect of this part of the invention, I have provided the key with a stopping pro]ect1on 1ntegral therewith and formed before the key has been initially inserted 1n the block, and

have provided the block with a cobperating projection which is not interposed 1n the path of the projection on the key untll after the key has been inserted. Moreover, it may be mentioned that in carrying the present 1nvention into effect it, is considered to be undesirable to complicate the construction of the head or to add unnecessarily to the cost thereof, orto make any changes in the well established construction or principle of op eration f the. heads of this type now commonly used, not required to retain the key in the head. Accordingly, it will be understood that one of the important purposes of the present invention, is to provide the block and shoe-securing key of a brake-head of otherwise well known and commonly used construction, with stops of such nature that the key with the stop thereon may be in-., serted upon the block member and the stop --of the latter then interposed in the path of the stop on the key in such position relatively to the latter that movement of the key to secure or release the shoe will not be interfered with but the key cannot be withdrawn from the block. A most desirable way, forming one part of the present invention, of providing the stop element on the block, consists in forming the mouth of the latter, that is the recess or opening at one end thereof through which the key is inserted, with a wall having an edge of such nature that after the key has been inserted the edge of said wall may be bent to form a stop in the path of the stop on the key, or in other words, to restrict the opening sufficiently to confine the longitudinal movement of the key to the limit defined by the stop on the ke In the accompanying drawings, wherein understood that this particular embodiment is merely exemplary and that changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a brake-head and its attachments ready for use;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the block- "member of the head;

' Fig. 3 is an elevation of the side of the shoe'presented toward the block;

Fig. 4 is a detail representation ofthe key or pin;

Fig. 5 isv a detail view, partly in section,

of the upper end of the block and a key partly inserted therein, showing the correlation of these parts before the key has been secured against complete Withdrawal.

The brake-head, which term as herein used, comprehends the member A, called block, the shoe B and the key or pin C, may, as already herein stated, be of the usual and well known construction commonly employed as a partof railway car brakes, exceptas modified to adapt it to the purposes of the present invention. It is considered to be unnecessary to explain the construction of the block and shoe in detail, as their construction is well known, but mention should be made of the fact that the block' A is provided at top and bottom with projecting portions a, a respectively, and between the same with other projections (1, and a spaced from each other. The portion (a commonly is formedwith a recess 10 and the parts and a commonly have openings 11 and 12 which are in substantial alinement with the recess 10. The shoe B commonly has an intermediate projection I), which. extends into the space between the parts a and a of the block and has an opening 15 alined with the openings 11 and 12. The key or pin 0 commonly extends through the recess 10 and openings 11, 12 and 13. The portions a and a of this style of block also commonly have recesses 14- and 15 which receive projections 16 and 17 from the top and bottom of the shoe B and said shoe also commonly has flanges 18 and 19 at its top and bottom which respectively lie above and below the portions (4 and a ofthe block.

The key or pin C forming part vof the present invention essentially differs from the ordinary key or pin in that it is provided with a rigid projecting portion forming a stop. This stop is preferably formed integral with the key or wedge. In the form herein exemplified it is formed by a lug 20 cast upon the front face of the key or pin. The block A differs from the commonly employed block in that its opening 16 has walls at its front and rear as well as at its sides and these walls are so correlated that the part of the key or pin having the projection cannot pass between them. This preferred, as here shown, to form all four of these walls integral with the block, 2'. e. to form the block with a portion 21 forming I the front wall of the opening 10, in addition to the usual parts forming the side and-rear walls of said opening. As initially formed, this front wall 21 is so correlated with the remaining walls bounding the opening 10 that said vopening will be of such dimensions that the keyor pin C, including the part having the projection 20, may be forced 'therethrough in assembling the block and key, as shown in Fig. 5. The lower edge of this wall 21 is then distorted or bent, as shown at 22 in Fig. 1, being preferably beveled to enable this to be readily' accomplished by tapping it with a ham mer or other appropriate tool, thereby cone or release the shoe but cannot others of the strictingthe opening 10 sufliciently to prevent the portion of the key or pin having the projection 20 from being withdrawn through said opening. 'It will be noted that the openings 11 and'l3 are of such dimensions that the portion of the key orpin having the projection 20 will move through the same in either direction and that the projection 20 is so arranged on the key or pin that the latter hassuflicient longitudinal movement relatively to the block and shoe to secure the shoe to the block or release the shoe from the block. The key has the usual projection ,23 at its top to limit the extent of its inward movement, and in practice, is slightly curved to cause it to press tightly against the wall of the opening 13 in the projection 5.

Having thus described the invention, what I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, and what I therefore claim, is

1. A brake block having a plurality of spaced projections to engage a shoe, said projections extending forwardly from' the forward face of the block and having openings,.a key disposed longitudinally of the forward face of the block and extending through the openings in the projections, and

' cooperating stops on the key and block relatively arranged to permit the key to be moved longitudinally of the block to secure or release the shoe and to prevent detach- -ment of the key from the block.

2.4% brake block having a plurality of projections provided with openings, said projections being arranged below the upper end of the block and spaced to receive a portion of a shoe between them, and a key extending from the upper end of the block and through the openings in the projections and movable longitudinally of the block, said block and key having cp-acting stops relatively so. disposed that the key may be moved longitudinally of the block to secure be completely withdrawn from the block.

3. A brake block having a plurality of spaced projections provided with openings, one of said projections being disposed adjacent to the upper end of the block and projections being arranged near the center of the block and spaced to receive a portion of a shoe between them, and a key extending through the openings in the several projections, said key and block having co-acting stops relatively so disposed thatthe key may' be moved longitudinally of the block to secure or release the shoe but cannot be Withdrawn co pletely from the block. 1 4. A brake block having which is open at the top and bottom and bounded by walls on all of its sides, and a key having a projection, the-opening being an opening initially of such dimensions that the portion of the key containing the projection may be inserted therethrough, and one wall of said opening being bendable to form a stop disposed in the path of the projection on the key to thereby prevent complete Withdrawal of the key, said stop and projection being relatively so disposed that the key is movable longitudinally relatively to the block sufliciently to secure or release a shoe.

5. In a brake head, the combination of the block member, shoe member and key member thereof, the key having a stop, the block and shoe having projections one of which overlies the other and said projections having substantially alined openings through which the portion of the key having the stop may move in either direction and the block having an additional opening whose dimension is such with relation to the portion of the key having the stop that the latter cannot be withdrawn therethrough, the last named opening being so positioned with relation to the stop on the release the shoe key when the parts are assembled that the key may bemoved longitudinally sufiiciently to secure or release the shoe.

6. In a brake head, the combination of the block member, shoe member and key member thereof, the key having a stop, the block and shoe having projections one of which overlies the other and said projections having substantially alined openings through, which the portion of the key having the stop may move in either direction and the block having an which initially is of such dimension that the portion of the key havin the stop may be inserted therethrough, sai opening having a wall which is bendable to form a stop in'the path of the stop on the key, said stops being: so correlated that the .key may move longltudinally sufficiently to secure or but cannot be completely Withdrawn from the block.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature Rosana: a. L. MEEHAN.

additional opening 

